Finals a success but entries are down
The future of competitions run by Shropshire’s biggest bowling league will be debated on Wednesday evening.
Finals day was another big success for the SPS Whitchurch League, but the falling number of entries in competitions is a growing concern.
“On the competition front, the entries this year were disappointing,” admitted league chairman Phil Scott. “And next year, maybe without someone coming forward to run the competitions, we might not run them – although the management will discuss that at our meeting tonight.
“I see a proposal of a minimum of eight entries will be needed to make it viable to run a competition in future.”
Headline makers at finals day at Edgmond earlier this month were Merit winner Gary Beff, who topped a super season for Woore and Wem USC brother and sister, Derek Wright and Mo Corley, who retained the mixed doubles title to build on an incredible record in it.
Mother and son Helen and Ben Hinton triumphed in the Ladies Merit and Under-21 Merit respectively with Ben Cutler of the host club winning the Under-15 Singles.
“Finals day was a busy day, meaning a 14-hour stint of bowls,” added Scott, who has been running the league’s competitions this season. “It was good to have finals at Edgmond again and with quite a few players in different comps it made it a hard day to run – but thanks to Edgmond for being great hosts again.”
A ‘great way to start the new winter series’ was the organiser’s reaction to a massive turnout for the curtain raiser.
Round one of North Shropshire Parks’ winter series run by Jamie Brookes attracted nearly 80 bowlers to Edgmond on Sunday.
And a delighted Brookes declared: “What a great way to start the new series – with a brilliant attendance of 78 turning up. We had 33 in the morning session and 43 in the afternoon, with an impressive 30-plus newbies to the series.
“It seems the old adage of word of mouth is best type of promotion – and my thanks go to all who attended.”
Many of the regulars in the previous eight series finished top of their 13-up and handicappped round robin groups, including Gary Whitehall, Alan Boulton, Cedric Bancroft, Phil Jones and Ben Parkes.
Father and son Richard and Ed Proudlove were also table-toppers, as were reigning county champions Joe Killen (under-18) and Graham Turner (veterans).
Other round robin group winners were Gus Needham, Brian Whitehouse, Phil Guy, Stuart Duncan, John Wright, Carol Goodwin, Craig Jones, Adrian Lalley and Greg Needham.
